Friends
It wasn't till the sun finally set that Serena came out of her trance and realised she should probably be getting back.
"Well I should be going." She said getting up and slipping her hood over her face again. Neither of them wanted to leave, they wished they could stay in each others arms forever. But sadly they also knew they had to face reality.
"Ok." Ash said. "Here, let me walk you back." He took her hand and began leading her out of the forest. Unfortunately the two didn't realise, they were being watched.
"Should we get em' now?" One asked.
"Not yet wait till there at the forest's edge, them we'll make our move." Said another.
When Ash and Serena came to the forests edge they both paused for a moment. They really hated having to say goodbye as this was by far the best day either of them had, had in a long time.
"Well I guess this is where we part ways." He said.
"I wish we could meet again." Serena said sadly.
"You mean there's no way I can ever see you?" Ash asked.
"No I am afraid I shall never be allowed out again, but thank you so much for making my first and last trip to the world a memorable one." She said. She smiled under her hood and Ash let go of her hand. They were just about to leave when Ash was suddenly flung against a nearby tree by none other than Paul and Damien.
"Ahh!" He cried in shock.
"Well, well, well." Trip laughed as he stepped out of the shadows. "Thought you could get away from us eh muck boy." The other two sniggered. Ash felt himself weaken with fear. Trip raised his fist in the air prompting Ash to shut his eyes and brace for the impact. When…
"Stop!" And they did. All four of them turned to look in the same direction, the direction of the one who had spoken. Namely Serena. "Unhand him this minute." She yelled.
"Mind you own business." Paul said.
"Yeah this loser promised us he would do anything we asked, so we're just here to collect." Damien stated.
"Come on guys can't you let me off just this once." Ash pleaded. Serena was even angrier now, how dare these men be so horrible to someone so kind.
"You will unhand him now or else." She said.
"Or else what?!" Trip smirked, not the least bit concerned by Serena's threat.
"Or else I shall call my royal guard and they will punish you." She said removing her hood so the boys could see her face. They all gasped (except Ash)
"Oh my it's the princess Serena." Damien said.
"What?" Ash whispered.
"That's right. And if you do anything to harm my friend Ash you will be sorry." She then raised her hand formally. "I hear by remove Ash from you debt, now leave." She said staring Trip down to make sure he understood. They all got the message and without hesitation they let go of Ash and ran as fast as they could. Serena smiled triumphantly glad to have helped Ash out. She looked over to check if he was all right, but to her surprise he had vanished!
With Ash…
The doors to the barn flew open and banged hard against the wall. The pokemon all raised their heads to see what had caused the disturbance. Their gaze was meet with a very upset Ash. He didn't care, he barely even noticed them he just ran up the ladder to his beam. Muffled sobs could be heard by the pokemon down below. They all felt for Ash, they had come to like him very much over the 13 years he'd been living with them. It pained them all greatly to see him upset (or rather hear him). Pikachu hopped up into the beams and tried to comfort his master. Ash was grateful for Pikachu's company but still felt very depressed. He sat in silence for while, just staring down looking shadowed in sadness. He kept turning it over in his mind but it always made him feel worse.
His thoughts were broken by a call from down in the barn. "Hey Ash."
Ash didn't respond.
"Come on man you can't sulk up there forever."
Ash sighed. He'd been in this position time and time again. 'Might as well give in' He thought and slid over then edge of the beam onto the hay stack. He sat up dusting off the straw when a hand extended under his face. Ash looked up. As he expected the hand belonged to none other than Drew.
"Bout time." Drew said helping him up. "Although you gave in a lot quicker actually, normally I have to come up and get you."
"Yeah I know." Ash sighed, "Thanks for covering for me today."
"No sweat man. What are friends for right?" Drew said, he then walked over and sat on one of the hay bales. He gestured for Ash to sit next him.
Ash sat down reluctantly and waited for Drew to speak.
"So what do I have to do to get it out of you this time?" He joked. Drew and Ash had been friends ever since they were little, Drew was a couple of years older than Ash and was a farm hand back when Ash's parents owned the place. Most of the workers left when Ash's uncle took over but Drew refused to leave Ash to face things on his own. he was like a brother to Ash and was use to comforting him when something awful happened.
"You don't have to do anything." Ash said. "I might as well just tell you and get it over with."
Drew nodded with interest and Ash proceeded to tell him about his adventure with the princess Serena. When he was finished he looked over to Drew who was now sitting in silence with his mouth hanging open.
"This is the part where you say: don't worry Ash everything will work out." Ash said doing a funny imitation of Drew's voice in order to break the tension. Drew laugh lightly.
"Well from what I hear it sounds like you had a great day. You met a beautiful princess, made a new friend and got out of your arrangement with Trip." He said smiling. "Whats the down side in that?" He asked, suddenly serious.
Ash sighed. "The problem is when we were watching the sunset together we actually cuddled. And I felt, felt something special, like I wanted to be with her forever and always hold her." He cried dropping his face in his hands.
"Ah, I see so you've fallen in love with her." Drew said patting his friend on the back. Ash just hid himself further. "Look from what I hear it sounds like she really likes you to." He said.
"Get real." Ash said bluntly. "She's a princess why would she waste time with a loser like me?"
"Well considering she spent the whole day with you I'm guessing she had some kind of reason." Drew said, he was trying to catch Ash off guard but it didn't work.
"Come on Drew. I'm a muck boy, she probably just felt sorry for me. I must of looked so pathetic to her." He said sounding even more depressed.
"Nah. I bet she thought you were kind and friendly." Drew stated.
"Pika, Pika." Pikachu said patting his master's head. Ash reached up and stroked pikachu provoking him to make his blissful "Cha" noise. Both of the boys shared a laugh and got up.
"Thanks Drew, I needed that." Ash said.
"Anytime." Said Drew smacking him on the back.
"Well we better get some sleep." Said Ash settling down on his hay bed.
"Ok. See you tomorrow." Drew waved then exited the barn. Ash just sat quietly stroking Pikachu until he was to tired to continue. He didn't find it quite as hard to get to sleep tonight, for some reason he felt more relaxed than usual…
In the palace…
"Sounds like a really nice guy. I'm very happy for you Serena." Iris was saying. Serena had just been telling her about her day most of what she said was about Ash.
"Oh, I don't know what it is Iris but I feel like I'm floating through the clouds; just streaming ahead like nothing can stop me." Serena was rabbiting on in a completely smitten state.
"Well if you ask me, it sounds like your in love." Iris giggled.
"Love?" Serena said. She thought about it. She'd never fallen in love before so she didn't really know what it was like. She tried to recall what all the books she'd read had said about love. Could it be true? Could she be in love? Oh man! She was! She suddenly sat up right up as the realisation hit her. "Oh no this isn't good." She said.
"What do you mean. I thought you really wanted this." Iris stated.
"Yes but I didn't really expect it to happen. My mother will never allow me and Ash to be together, he's just a villager. I am only allowed to marry a prince." She cried. Iris looked at her, now heartbroken, friend. She couldn't help but feel a bit guilty about bringing up the fact that Serena loved him. She wished she could do something to help.
There was an awkward silence for a few minutes until a knock at the door broke it. Serena sat up and composed herself whist Iris busied her self with pretending to tidy the room.
A guard poked his head round door. "Pardon the intrusion my lady but the queen requests you presence in the throne room." He said.
"Yes of course," Serena replied. She got up and followed the guard out. She stopped at the door and turned back to Iris, she bowed formally then pulled a face. She then dashed out the room before Iris could respond.
"What a kid." Iris said as she continued to clean.
The next day…
"Hey! Rise and shine!"
"What?!" Ash yelled. He sat up abruptly. Drew laughed and help his friend get up. "Uh, morning already?" Ash said groggily.
"Yeah. But don't worry I got the hard stuff this morning. You get to run errands." Drew said and he handed Ash a list.
"Really, why?" Ash asked.
"Don't know, and I didn't bother asking. You know how your uncle is when it comes to questions." Drew said.
"Mm." Ash agreed. "Well guess I better get going." Upon hearing this Pikachu quickly jumped on Ash's shoulder indicating he was ready to go. The two said goodbye to Drew then headed into town.
The list said they needed bread first. Ash was really pleased to be going to Dawn's bakery, he hadn't been there in forever and really missed Dawn. She was one of his best friends when they were kids, she was always telling him "No need to worry." He thought how good it would have been to hear that over the last 13 years. He sighed and continued walking through the streets to the main square. All around him he noticed people giving him weird looks. He was use to it though, every time he went out people always looked at him differently. He knew non of them had respect for him and that he had a reputation in the village as a nobody. He didn't mind that much, if people didn't like him that was their problem. And besides there were some people who did see him as more than just a loser.
"Good morning." Came the call of one of those people as Ash entered the bakery.
"Hey, Dawn." He said smiling. Dawn opened her eyes to see who had spoken. When she saw it was Ash she nearly exploded.
"AHHHHHH! Ash oh my god. It's been so long, how are you?! How's Pikachu and Drew?! Oh my we have so much to catch up on." She squealed endlessly. Ash laughed thinking of how little she'd changed. It felt good, like not everything in his life had taken a turn for the worst. If fact Dawn hadn't taken a turn at all, she was the same overly peppy out-going crazy obsessive girl she'd always been. It really helped put a smile on Ash's face.
"Hey, what's happenin' DeeDee.?" Kenny said coming into the bakery. Kenny and Dawn were childhood friends who had come to really, really like each other. They were married 3 years ago, Ash had been invited to their wedding but his uncle had forbidden him to go.
"I told you not to call me that." Dawn was yelling. Kenny had always called her DeeDee, it made her really mad. Though he would never admit it he thought she looked really cute when she was angry. He was in the midst of smirking and admiring his feisty wife when he noticed Ash standing behind her.
"Oh man. Ash is it really you?" He asked, totally gobsmacked.
"Yeah," Ash said smiling and rubbing the back of his head. Then without warning he was tackled into a hug by Kenny, then flung on his back when Dawn decided to do the same. The three of them sat up laughing. They helped each other up, Ash wanted to stay and catch up but he knew his uncle would kill him if he was late.
"So how you been doing. That uncle o' yours givin' you a hard time?" Kenny asked.
"Mmm." Ash murmured sadly. Dawn noticed his expression darken slightly and elbowed Kenny for being so tactless.
"It's ok Ash, I'm sure things'll get better soon. No need to worry!" Dawn said in her usually over cheery way. Ash smiled, it was a sad smile but a smile non the less. He couldn't help but smile sadly; he was touched by the way his friend wanted to cheer him up but also knew that she was wrong and things wouldn't get better. (Thats what he thinks…).
Ash paid for the bread and left the bakery, waving to his friends as he left.
"Now where to next?" He started looking for his list.
"Pika, pika," Pikachu said passing the list to Ash.
"Thanks buddy." He smiled and opened the list. The next thing on the list was fruit and veg. That meant a trip to the grocery. 'Oh great' Ash thought as he headed across the square. The grocers shop was never a place he liked to visit. It was owned by his good friend Tracey, the two use to play with the pokemon in the forest when they were younger. But that was before Ash's uncle stopped letting him hang out with his friends. Ash did really want to see Tracey it had been so long since the two had spoken. The problem was, Trip and his gang often hung out outside the grocers and Ash really didn't want another run in with them. He peeked cautiously round the corner to the shop. They were all there, fortunately they weren't looking his way.
"Pika, pi?" Pikachu said.
"I've got to get past them somehow," Ash told his electric type pal. Pikachu took that as his que to act. He leapt down from Ash's head and ran over to the bullies. Ash just stared in disbelief as his electric mouse swiftly swiped Trips hat right from his head. He then jumped around a bit as the guys tried to get it back, Ash couldn't help but give a quiet laugh at how comical it all looked. Pikachu then dashed off down the street with the gang following as fast as they could. Ash smiled gratefully at his partner then walked over to Tracey's shop.
"Good morning," Greeted Tracey as Ash entered the shop.
"Hey Tracey. Good to see you." Ash said smiling.
"Ash, how good to see you. You doing ok?" Tracey asked.
"Well… Normal." Ash said laughing. Tracey knew he was just putting on a brave face by joking about his position. He watched his friend collect up the stuff he needed, he was smiling as he did so. Tracey knew Ash smiled as often as he could but deep down he was never truly happy anymore. As one of his close friends he wished there was something he could do to help. But none of them dared stand up to Ash's uncle, everyone in the town was afraid of him.
Ash finished selecting stuff and headed over to the counter to pay.
"Will that be all?" Tracey asked.
"Have you been working on any new drawings?" Ash asked. Tracey smiled and pulled out a notebook. H passed it to Ash, who then began flicking through it. It was full of pictures of pokemon Tracey had drawn himself. Ash along with all of Tracey's other friends knew this was his real passion. Making pokemon art was his real love in life, but unfortunately he hadn't enough money to publish his art properly. Ash wished he could help Tracey's work was truly amazing but he didn't have any money whatsoever. He suddenly stopped at a page with a picture of all the forest pokemon gathered at a lake. He stared at it in shock.
"Thats a good one isn't it, I had to be very careful not to be noticed there." Tracey said.
"This is the pokemon lake gathering." Ash said still transfixed. "No one's ever been able to witness this before." He stated. "You really are good Tracey." He said handing his book back. Tracey blushed laughing and put the book away. Ash laughed to then headed to the door.
"Well it was good seeing you but I better get going, you know what my uncle is like." Ash said smiling and giving his friend a little wave. Tracey waved back then started fiddling with something under the counter. Ash walked out the shop, still smiling. But his smile froze when he saw who was waiting for him outside. As soon as he stepped out the door his gaze was lodged with Trip's. He had an unnerving smirk present on his face and an unconscious Pikachu in his hands.
"I believe this is yours," He said tossing Pikachu at Ash.
"Pikachu!" Ash cried catching him. "You ok buddy." Ash asked, concerned. Pikachu didn't wake up but Ash could tell he was breathing; he felt relived for a minute. But he was quickly overtaken by fear when he heard Trip laughing. The other members of his group started laughing to. Ash looked around for a way out but he was completely trapped.
"So Ashley, looks like you don't have your little princess to protect you today." Trip taunted.
"W-what do you want. A-and it's-s A-Ash." Ash stuttered.
"I want you to do anything I want you to, like you said." Trip smirked. "Oh, and you will be Ashley. Soon." He then broke out laughing along with the rest of the gang. Ash began shaking nervously as the group advanced on him…
20 minutes later…
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" The sound of laughter was ringing in Ash's ears. Trip was shaking him by his ankles whilst everyone in the square had gathered round to have a good laugh. The gang had forced Ash to put on girls knickers and a dress; which was now hanging in Ash's face due to the fact that Trip was holding him upside-down so everyone could see the underwear they had made him wear.
"Had enough yet? Ashley." Trip sneered as he said that last part. The crowd laughed even harder and began taunting Ash with the name. He was completely and utterly humiliated. He was bright red with embarrassment and looked like he might cry.
"Ow!" He cried as Trip suddenly dropped him. Damien then grabbed the dress he was wearing and tore it off so he was just wearing the knickers. He tried to run but Paul tripped him. He then grabbed the back of the knickers and pulled. Ash was lifted right off the ground and into a really intense wedgie, most of the people had tears in their eyes they were laughing so hard now. Paul then attached the top of the underwear to the bra they'd forced Ash to wear and threw him into the fountain. Ash sat up now completely drenched, he tried to move but it made the wedgie Paul had fixed him in more painful. So he was forced to sit there while he was mocked and laughed at for the next 20 minutes. It was torture.
Ash was considering making a run for it, regardless of the pain when a huge explosion went off just south of the square. Everyone who had been laughing stopped to stare in shock. Even Ash was frozen to the spot in awe. The crowd wasted no time in running over to see what was happening, within minutes the square was clear.
Ash was finally alone. He reached behind himself and unhooked the pants from the back of the bra. He felt a great surge of relief course through him as the pain subsided.
"Thank god for that explosion." Ash said aloud.
"Yeah I thought it might help." A voice beside him said. Ash whipped round quick to see who it was. He was very relived it was only his good friend Clemont. He was leaning on the edge of the fountain smiling at Ash with a hint of evilness visible in his eyes peering out behind his glasses. It took Ash a moment to comprehend what Clemont had said. His eyes grew wider as he finally caught on.
"You mean you had something to do with that." Ash exclaimed, referring to the explosion. Clemont's expression suddenly change to one of amuse and embarrassment. He put his hand behind his head and laughed nervously.
"Well, I was just taking a walk when I noticed your… uh… predicament." He said, Ash lowered his head in shame. "Anyway…" Clemont continued. "I decided to build a machine to help you but it went crazy and eventually blew up." He finished looking rather foolish. Ash laughed gratefully and Clemont helped him out of the fountain.
"I can't go home like this though." Ash said looking down at himself, he was sopping wet and wearing nothing but girls underwear.
"I have some spare overalls in my hut if you like." Clemont offered.
"Oh, thanks so much Clemont!" Ash said a huge grin growing on his face. It broadened even more when he noticed Pikachu running towards him with the groceries. Ash took the basket from him and he jumped onto Ash's shoulder nuzzling his face slightly. Ash laughed and stroked his partner whilst following Clemont to his hut. Once there Clemont grabbed some of the brown overalls he always wore and handed them to Ash.
"Thanks man, I owe you big time." Ash said.
"Don't mention it." Clemont laughed.
"Well I should probably get home before I'm late but thanks for everything Clemont. I promise I'll get your clothes back as soon as I can." Ash said. He held out is arm to allow pikachu to hop up on his shoulder. Clemont nodded to his friend then began fiddling with all the junk he had lying around his hut. Ash and pikachu headed home to the farm. It was just outside of town and right on the edge of the forest. Ash always had a good view of both from the windows in the barn. He closed in on the main gate noticing a figure silhouetted against the iron railings. At first he panicked slightly, worried it was his uncle waiting to punish him for being late. But as he got closer he realised it could not be him, the figure was not as large as he was. As he neared came within a few feet of the entrance the light from the moon suddenly illuminated the person. Ash was very pleased to find it was Drew waiting for him.
"Hey," He waved leaning off the wall and waving to Ash. Ash waved back and ran up to him being careful not to drop the basket with his supplies. He did however jostle Pikachu around a bit and received a nasty shock from him when he stopped.
"Sorry pal," Ash laughed as he recovered from the electrocution. He was use to his partners shocks by now and knew that Pikachu would never severely hurt him. Drew took the basket from him while he reached up and stroked Pikachu.
"So I can guess you had a bad experience today huh." Drew said in a knowing way. Ash was visibly surprised at Drew's accurate guess and asked him how he knew.
"Your clothes." Drew said, pointing to Clemont's overalls. "Those are Clemont's and I know they're not the ones you had on this morning so I can only conclude something awful had happened to force you to change." Drew said. Ash sighed and told him about the incident with Trip and his friends today and how Clemont had helped him out. Drew smiled, he was glad Ash had a friend to help him today. With a life like his he would need all the friends he could get just to get through it.
"So what was it you wanted." Ash asked.
"Huh?" Drew said, only half remembering why he was there.
"Come on Drew. That whole know whats going on all the time thing works both ways you know." Ash said confusing him even more. He saw Drew's expression and decided to just cut to the chase, "I know you were waiting here because you had something to ask me." He said.
Drew thought about it for a minute and then turned very red.
"Well. I was j-just w-wondering i-if maybe…: He stuttered losing his normally present, 'cool attitude' for a moment. Ash merely smirked waiting for him to finish, but having a pretty good idea of what he was going to say. "I was wondering if you'd seen May in town today." He said finally. Ash's smirk grew even bigger. When the three of them were kids May and Drew had always fought with each other but on special occasions they dared to admit they liked each other. To Ash it had always been obvious the two were madly in love, unfortunately they were both had to much pride to admit it until the final moment. Ash had only been told the story of how Drew and May left each other. But even though he wasn't there it had brought tears to his eyes.
*flashback start*
Ash's uncle had informed Ash that he would no longer be allowed to play with the village's other children. Drew tried to comfort him but his uncle wasn't having it.
"Do not take pity on the pathetic kid." He had said. "He needs toughening up, some good hard work ought to do him some good." He was very firm and warned Drew that if he caught him helping Ash in any way he would be dismissed. Of course Drew helped him secretly despite the warning. But as he lived on the farm he was also under Ash's uncle's rule of: No contact with the outside world. This meant he had two options. He could stay to care for Ash and never see his love May again. Or he could leave Ash to fend for himself and be with May. It was tough but he knew what he had to do; so that night he met May in the forest.
"Drew, why did you want to see me?" She asked nervously. He looked at her seriously so she would get the message. The two often liked to play jokes on each other but there were some times that were no laughing matter. May took in Drew's stare and understood that now was one of those times.
"Well there's something I want you to know, and I have to tell you now before it's too late." Drew said sadly.
"What do you mean too late?" She asked, the fear present in her voice. Drew winched slightly, this was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do. He took a deep breath…
"May. This is the last time you and I will be together for quite sometime. I don't know if you and I will ever meet again; but I sure hope so."
"What! Why! Drew your kidding right?" May cried. Drew shook his head sadly. "No, this can't be. Why Drew, why are you leaving me." May began crying, tears dripping down her pale cheeks.
"May, I hate to. But I have to stay with Ash." Drew said seriously.
"What? What do you mean?" May asked suddenly feeling more curious than upset.
"Ash's uncle has said that Ash is to work on the farm and never leave from now on. And I am only allowed to stay if I don't see any of you anymore." Drew said. May gasped. "I could leave the farm to be with you but then Ash would have to face his uncles torture by himself. And you know I've always thought of him like a little brother, I need to be there for him May because unlike the rest of us his life's about to get a lot harder. He needs someone to help him through it." Drew was just babbling now tears began welling up in his eyes as he knew this was the most horrible decision he'd ever made. May to was crying, for she knew that she would have to make a tough decision here. But it was the right thing to do.
"Drew?" She said softly. He broke off to look at her. "I understand." She said smiling. She placed both of her hands onto Drew's shoulders and looked deep into his deep green. "Ash needs you. I understand. I'll just wait for you." May said trying to put on a brave face. Drew looked into her lovely deep blue eyes, he could tell she was upset but it just made him love her more. He knew this was his last chance. He had to tell her.
"May. Before I leave you I just had to let you know the truth." Her eyes seemed to flicker when she heard that. "May, I know that you and me. Well, we fight a lot but I've always kind of liked you. And I know we're great friends and all but I think you and I should be…" He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence before May plunged her lips against his. At first he was shock, but soon he relaxed and returned the kiss. After a while they started full on making out. They stayed that way for a long time. They weren't exactly sure how long, but it didn't feel long enough. When they pulled away they each wanted more than anything to hold each other and never let go again. They released each other from their grip and opened their eyes once again. Drew was shocked to find the tears flowing down May's cheeks. He wished to hold her and comfort her but he couldn't shake the feeling that if did he would never let her go. So instead he he told her something he'd wanted to say for a long time.
"I love you. May."
May's eyes widened and she began full on sobbing. But she was smiling as she did.
"I love you to." She said. Then she ran. Drew didn't stop her, he knew this was how it had to be even if it hurt. But both kept up the hope that they would someday meet again.
*Flashback end*
So. Uh, yeah. Just curious." Drew said blushing. Ash laughed heartily then shook his head. Drew sighed, he knew it was a waste of time getting his hopes up. Ash noticed how upset his friend was, he hated to see Drew that way.
"Don't worry, you'll always have her in your dreams lover boy." Ash taunted. Drew suddenly felt his disappointment replace itself with anger.
"How dare you." He yelled. "I do not dream about May!" He denied but the blush was still present on his cheeks. Ash laughed and punched Drew's arm. Drew glared at him for a minute then realised Ash had made him angry on purpose so he wouldn't be sad anymore. He began to laugh as well and soon the two of them felt better than ever.
"Don't worry man." Ash said. "You and May will meet again I'm sure of it." He smiled.
"Right." Drew said, also smiling. The two then went their separate ways, Drew up to the house with the food and Ash down to the barn with Pikachu. Who at this point was fast asleep in Ash's arms; having had a very stressful day. Ash gave a warm smile at the sight of his partner being so peaceful. The two had been through a lot together. Ash knew that he and Pikachu were and always would be best friends.